German lawmakers will push ahead with plans to question former NSA contractor Edward Snowden over the agency’s surveillance activities despite pressure from government officials who warned interviewing the whistleblower may damage ties with Washington.

"A majority of the committee has decided that we want to hear
Mr. Snowden," Reuters cites Roderich Kiesewetter, the
conservative head of the 8-member panel of inquiry set up to
investigate the National Security Agency’s (NSA) activities in
Germany, as saying.

The vote was unanimous, said Martina Renner, the chairperson of
Germany's Left party for the special committee.

However, it remains unknown if Snowden will testify in Germany,
or if he will answer questions from Russia, where he was granted
political asylum last year.

Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) has been opposed
to allowing Snowden to come to Germany to testify, fearing it
would strain ties between Berlin and Washington. The United
States charged Snowden with theft, “unauthorized
communication of national defense information” and
“willful communication of classified communications
intelligence information to an unauthorized person.” If
Snowden were to step foot on German soil, the US, which has an
extradition treaty with Germany, would demand he be handed over
under an internal arrest warrant.

Merkel's coalition, which suggested that Snowden answer questions
in a video conference, proposed the tentative date of July 3, AFP
cites Left party chairperson Renner as saying.

The center-left Social Democrats (SPD), who share power with the
CDU in a 'grand coalition', have said they would be open to
questioning him in Germany or in Russia. Members of the
opposition, however, want Snowden to come to Germany.

Last week, the German government reportedly blocked Snowden from giving personal
evidence in front of the parliamentary inquiry regarding the
agency’s surveillance.

In a letter to members of the panel obtained by Süddeutsche
Zeitung, government officials said a personal invitation to the
former NSA contractor would "run counter to the political
interests of the Federal Republic," and "put a grave and
permanent strain" on US-German relations.

Green party head Simone Peter, accused the chancellor of
kowtowing to the United States.

"Merkel is displaying cowardice towards our American
ally," she said. "We owe the Americans nothing in this
respect. The government must at least make a serious effort to
safely bring Snowden to Germany and let him give evidence here.
But Merkel doesn't want that."

Another recent report in Spiegel Online warned that members of
the Committee of Inquiry could themselves face legal problems if
they question Snowden, no matter where the location.

According to documents from a Washington-based law firm, the
questioning of “the main culprit” would become a
punishable offense if he were prompted to disclose secret
information.

The parliamentarians could be charged with “theft of state
property” or “conspiracy” if they were ever to step foot
on US soil, regardless of their parliamentary immunity.

Meanwhile, on Monday Der Spiegel reported that the German
government plans to limit their level of cooperation with the
parliamentary panel, saying they would only be given limited
access to a so-called bilateral no-spy agreement currently being
negotiated with Washington.

Access to relevant documents will be limited as it is considered
to be “an ongoing process” regarding “a core area of government
responsibility” which is constitutionally protected, a senior
government official told the German daily.

It also remains unknown whether the committee will be given
access to documents regarding cooperation between Germany’s
Federal Intelligence Service and its US and British counterparts,
as such a step would reportedly require the consent of Germany’s
foreign partners.

Revelations of NSA amassing phone data from private German
citizens, as well as of tapping Chancellor Merkel's cell phone
for over a decade have sent shock waves through the German
public. The surveillance has also dealt a blow to US-German
diplomatic relations at a time when Brussels and Washington are
trying to agree on a transatlantic trade pact.